Accidents Happen
by rozelic
Summary: [ Arthur x Reader ] She stood there for a moment, holding on to her nose and with her eyes squeezed shut. Arthur's chest tightened. Was she in pain? Horrible pain? Oh, no. No,no, no. Had he hurt her that badly? Should he call someone? The police? The hospital? His mother!
1. Chapter 1

It wasn't often that Arthur got a chance to slip out of the North Pole unnoticed, especially now that he was Santa, so whenever he managed to do so, he relished it. It wasn't that he disliked being at home, quite the contrary. Arthur adored his new job and everything that came along with it. The only problem was that being Santa took up a lot more of his time than when he had been working in the letters department, which meant less time for the silly little things that he would do to fill up his spare time, like rereading his favourite letters or reorganizing them or following Steve around or browsing toy stores.

This last one, it was a little odd that he enjoyed it so much, considering that what they mainly did in the North Pole all year round was make toys, but there was something about the endless shelves of action figures, dolls and toy cars that brought a little happiness to Arthur. He couldn't explain it, he just found it fun, no matter how much Steve would call it pointless.

This time, he'd made it all the way to London, to one of his favourite toy stores. He'd parked EVIE where no one would notice her, so he had plenty of time to spare. He hummed softly to himself as he walked up and down the aisles, his gaze flying over rows and rows of dolls, looking for any changes that had been made since his last visit, only to come to a stop when his eyes had fallen upon a certain doll.

Arthur grimaced at the sight of it.

It was a bride doll, complete with white dress, a bouquet of roses and a plastic face framed by a matching white veil that beamed up at him. To any other person, the doll might not have caused any reaction at all, but to Arthur, it made his stomach turn into a knot.

The main reason he'd slipped out that day had been to escape his mother and her neverending hints at his single status. Yes, Arthur knew that, as Santa, he'd have to someday find a Mrs Santa to carry on the family legacy, but it didn't mean he agreed with the tradition. After all, Steve was a much better candidate than he ever could be, not to mention that he had better genes to pass on. Arthur could bet that nobody in the North Pole wanted another lanky clumsy disaster running around the place, but still his mother softly pressed and urged him into trying to get a date and bring a girl home.

He'd tried, at first, but without success. The brunet was no good talking to women,let alone managing to get a date with one of them. It was almost like they fled from him. It only took one look at him and they were practically running for the hills. Not that he'd met any girl that he'd liked anyway. They were all the same to him.

With a frustrated huff, Arthur flicked angrily at the box, causing the doll to tumble back and forth a little in her confines before settling once again in her initial position. He was a lost cause, and the sooner his mother accepted that, the better. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Arhur made his way back to the entrance of the store, suddenly not in the mood for toy browsing anymore.

As he dragged his feet to the front door, he failed to notice someone else approaching it from the other side, so distracted he was by his own thoughts as he reached out to push it open. He was quickly pulled away from said thoughts, after he'd heard the loud thunk the impact of the hard glass against the stranger's face made.

"Ouch!" A feminine voice cried out.

Arthur visibly paled, and quickly made his way outside without colliding with her again. "I am so sorry!" He blurted out, hands hovering over her, unsure of what he could do to help. "A-Are you okay? It was an accident! I swear! I'm sorry!"

She stood there for a moment, holding on to her nose and with her eyes squeezed shut. Arthur's chest tightened. Was she in pain? Horrible pain? Oh, no. No,no, no. Had he hurt her that badly? Should he call someone? The police? The hospital? His mother?!

Just as he was about to sink his hand into his pocket after his HO-HO, she opened her eyes and began to lower her hands away from her face after a few soft taps on her nose, checking that it was okay. It must have still hurt, since she winced a little with every tap, but at least it didn't seem to be anything too serious.

Then she looked at him, and Arthur's chest tightened once again, but in a completely different way this time. Her gaze woke something in him. A new and alien feeling that Arthur wasn't sure if he liked or not. His heart skipped a beat, and he was suddenly short of breath, completely transfixed by her. Why? There was nothing particularly remarkable about her, but yet, there was also something undeniably extraordinary about her. He was drawn to her, and to her eyes. Those eyes, for a few brief seconds he was hypnotized by them, that indescribable feeling running through him from head to toe over and over again.

Her lips moved, and for the shortest of moments Arthur could have sworn he had wanted to kiss them.

"-fine, don't worry."

Arthur's brow furrowed, then lifted as he realized she was speaking to him. Oh, no. Had he been staring at her? Had she seen him staring at her? For crying out loud, of course she had seen him. Okay, okay, time to stop being creepy and try to act like a normal human being. You can do this, Arthur. He shook his head before answering her.

"Uh… sorry, what? I...uh...blanked out for a moment." He said, followed by an awkward chuckle.

Smooth.

He was ready for her to raise an eyebrow at him and leave, but to his surprise, she let out a small giggle at his response, the sound like sweet music in his ears. What was wrong with him?

"I said that I'm fine." She repeated. "My nose hurts a little, but I doubt it's broken. I'll live."

"O-Oh.. that's good. I'm glad." And he was. Arthur wouldn't have been able to forgive himself if he'd actually hurt her.

"Are you okay?"

"Me?"

"Yes, you." She smiled. "You seem a little… distracted."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Just...uh...long day." He mirrored her smile, a hand rubbing at the back of his neck. He was a little embarrassed about his behaviour, but he was pleased that she didn't seemed bothered by it. He hadn't been able to help it though, she'd had an effect on him that he'd never experienced before. He wanted to talk to her, get to know her, maybe even be friends?

However, before he could say anything else, she dismissed herself with a quick wave.

"Okay, well, see ya." She gave him one last smile, before slipping past him into the store, leaving him standing there with a bewildered look on his face.

He was a little disappointed that she hadn't stayed, but he had to remind himself that he was just a stranger. He couldn't blame her, and perhaps it was better off that way. Someone like her would never be interested in befriending someone like him anyway.

Arthur sighed, shoulders lowering in defeat as he turned and walked away. He doubted he'd run into her again, but maybe one day.

Maybe.

* * *

I saw this prompt list on tumblr and I immediately thought of Arthur and just HAD to give this a try, so this is sort of a pilot chapter. If you guys like it I'll continue, which I hope you do because bOY DO I HAVE A TRIP PLANNED OUT FOR THESE TWO KNUCKLEHEADS

Also a few things to mention:  
\- Everything about Reader-chan is going to be super vague and I won't be including any of that (E/C) (Y/N) nonsense because I find it reaaally distracting from the story  
\- While english is my first language I don't use it on a daily basis anymore (i was born and raised in spain and since i moved out i dont have anyone to talk in english to anymore ;0;) so grammar and spelling mistakes are bound to happen  
\- Thank you so much for reading, i hope you have an amazing day 3


	2. Chapter 2

It was absurd, absolutely ridiculous. No matter what Arthur did, he just couldn't get her out of his mind.

It was like his every thought revolved around her. The way that she smiled with that gentle curl of her lips, how soft her hair looked and how badly he had wanted to touch it,... Every detail that he could remember about her he committed to memory.

A conflict was born inside him. Part of him wanted to forget all about her, while another part of him was demanding for him to ge search for her. For better or for worse, this part was louder than the other, and so, before he could think twice about it, Arthur found himself standing in front of the toy store again. It had only been a few days since they'd run into each other, and even though Arthur knew the odds of finding her in such a specific place again were not in his favor, it was the only lead he had.

A memory of her grin as she had spoken to him popped into his mind as soon as his gaze landed on the front door, and he couldn't help but smile himself. A smile that quickly fell as another thought came to him. What would he even say to her if he did find her? He doubted she'd be as pleased as he would be to see each other again, especially considering the circumstances of their first meeting. Not to mention he was a complete stranger.

Arthur let out a long, deep sigh..

He needed to put an end to this while he still could. He was enamoured with the idealization of a girl he'd just met. He didn't even know her name! What did he expect to gain from creeping around the toy store, desperate for any sign of her? Surely the only thing he had managed was to scare off customers, probably including his mystery girl.

He stared at the entrance for what felt like an eternity, before deciding to give up and go home. This whole idea had been stupid from the very beginning. He needed to stop losing his time with this and focus on more productive things, as Steve would say.

He pushed all thoughts of her to the very back of his mind, and turned around. He could feel the presence of the store behind him, like it was begging him to stay just a little longer, five more minutes and she would turn up, searching for him too, but Arthur knew that these thoughts were only his mind playing games with him. With a nod, Arthur shook those hopes away as well, and pressed on.

As he reached the small set of stairs that led to the side street where he had hidden his ride home, Arthur began making a mental to-do list of all the things he needed to do the day after to keep his mind busy. This was, of course, a fatal mistake for someone like Arthur, as he began to focus so much on distracting himself that he completely forgot to pay attention to where he was placing his feet.

As he was counting chores, he completely missed a step, causing Arthur to lose his footing and begin to tumble down. He immediately snapped his eyes shut and yelled, bracing himself for the impact that…

"Oof!"

...was not as hard as he had thought it would be? Arthur slowly opened one eye, color draining from his face as he processed what he was seeing.

The person who had broken his fall let out a pained groan. A person who was a she. A she that was...her. He had found her!

Arthur's mouth fell open as he stared, his face now turning red as he realized how close they were. the tips of their noses mere centimeters away from each other. She peered up at him, blinking curiously, clearly just as bewildered by the situation as he was. He couldn't help but notice that her own cheeks had a hint of a blush.

They stayed this way for a few long moments, before she broke the silence.

"Um.. are you okay?" She asked, the corners of her mouth curling upwards into that small smile that had been wandering around Arthur's brain for the last few days.

Her voice helped Arthur snap back into reality, leaping to his feet as quickly as he could manage. "O-Oh, yes! I-I'm fine!" He wasn't fine. He was completely mortified to have crashed into her a second time, and this time had been even worse than the first. He could have killed her! "What about you? A-Are you hurt?" He reached out a hand to help her up, concern and guilt twisting his stomach into a knot. "I'm so so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going!"

Her fingers closed around his own, a gentle grip that strengthened as she pulled herself up. Arthur's heart was doing somersaults in his chest. He was holding her hand. Once she was on her feet, he was reluctant to let go, but did so so as not to come off creepy.

Keep calm. Breath. Don't be a weirdo.

"I think I'm okay." She said, smile still present on her face, much to Arthur's relief, as she examined herself. She had a minor scratch on her left arm, but other than that she seemed to be fine. "We have to stop meeting like this, before it becomes a habit." She laughed. "I think that door still has a nose-shaped dent in it!"

Arthur had to stop himself from gaping at her again. She remembered him? Him? He hadn't expected her to, but it was definitely a pleasant surprise. Warmth bloomed in his stomach, along with a twinge of embarrassment at the memory of their meeting.

"I still feel bad about that." He replied. "I'm so-"

"It's okay, really." She interrupted him, stopping him from going on another apology spree. "Although, you could make it up to me." She pretended to think for a moment, tapping a finger against her chin. "Are you... going to be around here tomorrow? Same time?"

"Y-Yes."

"Great! Then I'll see you at the café next to the toy store. Buy me a coffee and a donut and all will be forgiven." She stated happily as she walked past Arthur and began to head up the steps.

A million thoughts ran through Arthur's mind all at once. She wanted to see him again? Despite nearly injuring her severely? Twice? Maybe she had hit her head during the fall and wasn't thinking straight. She couldn't really want to willingly spend time with him… could she?

Realization hit him barely a second later. Was this… a date?

Arthur quickly turned around, gaze searching for her wildly and praying she hadn't left yet. She had already reached the top of the stairs, and was now looking down expectantly at him with a grin, as if she enjoyed his bewilderment.

"I'm Arthur!" He yelled after her without thinking.

Her grin widened, and she yelled her own name back at him.

A name that Arthur tasted on his lips again and again all the way home. When night fell and Arthur was lying in bed staring wide eyed at the ceiling, he kept repeating her name in his mind. His cheeks hurt from smiling, but he didn't care. He was going to see her tomorrow, and that was the only thing that mattered at the moment.

Arthur closed his eyes, and said her name one more time.

* * *

I promise I haven't forgotten this fic OTL

I want to try to write a few chapter in one go so that I can post them more regularly, I have about ten chapters planned out including the two I've already posted ~~

I'm thinking of also having some of the chapters in the readers pov, or do you guys prefer to only have Arthur's pov? Let me know what you think!

I hope the wait for this chapter was worth it and that you enjoy it!


End file.
